Ituma Asked To Expand Flying Hours Before Opposing Usyk

Moses Ituma (left) is advised to add to the fight before dueling against Oleksandr Usyk (Instagram/@m.itauma).

JAKARTA Moses Ituma, a young boxer who is on the rise, was asked to increase his flying hours again amid his desire to get into the ring against world champion Oleksandr Usyk.

The discourse against Usyk began to stick out after Ituma won in the first round against Dillian Whyte at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, August 16, 2025.

Ituma's quick knockout victory over Dillian Whyte immediately increased speculation that the 20-year-old was ready to fight for the world title.

Ituma after the fight also said that he was preparing to fight anyone, including Usyk, who had just become the undisputed world heavyweight champion for the second time last month.

Ricky Hatton, a British boxer who has won in various divisions, praised Ituma for his performance against Whyte. However, he advised him not to rush against Usyk.

"I think they might be too quick to determine the next step. They are talking about Usyk for the next fight, but let's hold on to it a little bit," he said.

The clash against Whyte was the 13th fight that Itauma had in her professional career. He has never lost in that time, but he has only dueled 26 rounds.

Hatton suggested that with a few flying hours, Ituma needed domestic fights to hone its skills before boarding the ring for the heavyweight world title.

"Resilient his challenge to fight Usyk because he can get even better. So, why should he rush to fight him now? So, he has to increase again and can fight him," he said.

Usyk, 38, currently holds the four heavyweight world title belts after beating Daniel Dubois last month. He was also ordered to fight Joseph Parker, a mandatory WBO challenger.

The Ukrainian fighter was given 30 days alone to negotiate. However, he has just sent a letter requesting an extension of the deadline for injury.

Another option is that he can empty the WBO belt if he doesn't fight Parker. That way, Parker will automatically become world champion and look for other opponents.